If you saw a line forming in the Soviet Union, it was a good idea to join it, just in case.
This memory of queuing for just about anything – from bread to furniture – made Ukrainians allergic to waiting. Now, when they see a line in supermarkets or banks, they often fidget and hurry out, hoping there will be no lines when they return.
But there are still places where lines run for days, if not weeks. Applying to a university, getting a new passport, registering a new flat or securing a train ticket during holiday season takes not just money, but also time. For cases as such, the Bureau of Line Standing will help move you to the front of the crowd.
The service sprang up to beat bureaucracy in government offices. There are 12 couriers who will stand in line for an applicant in return for a fee. The stand-ins don’t queue in supermarkets, but are well aware of complexities of tax or divorce offices, said agency manager Kateryna Kyrylyuk.
“Once the couple called a courier to wait for them in the registry office,” Kyrylyuk said. “They wanted to get divorced and couldn’t stand each other, even in the line.”
Kyrylyuk said the idea was born two months ago, when the agency’s founders heard about professional line-standing in the United States. Such workers are in demand at immigration offices, known for its huge crowds. To witness public hearings in Congress or at the Supreme Court also requires waking up early and waiting long hours for a good seat.
The Ukrainian line-standing agency works in run-of-the-mill administration offices. Couriers wait in line in tax offices and universities and telephone or text clients when their turns approach. If the attendee isn’t there on time, the stander simply lets other people in front until the client arrives. The agency charges Hr 39 during the day and Hr 50 at night, plus a taxi fee if the line is not accessible by public transport.
“Let me remind you that we live in Ukraine,” said bureau’s manager Kyrylyuk, with a bit of irony. “It’s hard to expect any technical upgrades sooner than 10-15 years.”
The agency operates in Kyiv only, but has plans to expand. Potential client Dmitry Zhuk welcomed the idea. A student in Dnipropetrovsk, he said he faced “huge lines” last October trying to get tickets for the soccer match between Ukraine and England.
“A courier would have definitely saved a week of my life,” said Zhuk. “I came to the stadium the minute the sales were open. I spent a day lining up, but there were too many people. This insanity lasted a week.”
Alexander Smychnikov, senior IT consultant from Kyiv, thinks line-standing in Ukraine is a good idea, but needs work.
“I wouldn’t pay for the service if they just stand in lines. I want them to render the whole spectrum of services: to submit and receive documents, for instance. Otherwise it means I just pay for one more hour of sleep.”
The start-up’s manager, Kyrylyuk, hopes to improve the service, as they get to know their customers better. She said an English-speaking stander to serve foreigners will be added to the team in a year’s time.
For more information: http://ocheredi.net.ua/
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Kyiv Post staff writer Elena Zagrebina can be reched at [email protected]
